Widmer W'08 Crimson Wheat

With this post, the Beerocrat will celebrate its Golden (50th) Beeriversary, so drink up! I know I will!

Today's beer, the 50th I've reviewed so far, is Widmer Brother Brewing's 2008 Brewmasters' Release, called W'08 Crimson Wheat. This is the fourth release in their "W" series of beers, available from January to July of this year, but there may still be some 6-packs floating around somewhere. While other Widmer W releases, save for their W'05, have never been re-released as a regular bottled beer (they may have been served at their Gasthaus Pub), this one may have a decent shot for re-branding, as it has already won a silver at 2007's Great American Beer Festival, under the cryptic name "Brewmaster Reserve." A promising start, indeed. (Widmer W'08 homepage, GABF 2007 award list [alternative if GABF link goes stale])


Here come the stats:

Widmer W'08 Crimson Wheat
BREWERY: Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland, OR, USA
STYLE: American-Style Ale
FIRST BREWED: 2007
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS: 20 IBU
ABV: 4.9%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13.75° Plato (1056.07)
MALTS: Two Row Pale, Dark Wheat, Caramel Wheat, Red Wheat, Caramel 10 L, Rye, Chocolate
HOPS: Bittering: Alchemy, Aroma: Sterling
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: A variety of entrées including hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, and seafood
AWARDS: 2007 GABF Silver Medal Award Winner (American-Style Wheat Beer category, as "Brewmaster Reserve")

Most of this information came from Widmer's own W'08 homepage, with help from the GABF 2007 award list (and it's alternative link).

This beer poured a deep reddish-orange color, a very different color than what I've seen out of Widmer. The head was small, bubbly, and white, staying for a little while. The nose of the beer had a nice malty-sweetness to it and was very pleasing, not overpowering. This malty-sweetness extended to the taste, mixed in with a faint hoppiness indicative of a beer with only 20 IBUs. The finish was grainy in origin, but it didn't go flat or stale in my mouth, instead fading away gently into oblivion.

This is a nice beer, worthy of their W series. Hopefully it will be rebranded as something else like their Broken Halo in the near future, or at least featured in their Gasthaus Pub. If there are any left in stores, pick some up.

Prost!

P.S. Also, if anyone knows a better file hosting situation (free sign-up and hosting, direct link to file downloads), please do not hesitate to drop a comment. I'd love to switch from Uploading.com early in the game if possible. Thanks.

Redhook Copperhook Spring Ale

Today's entry covers a beer from one of my favorite craft brewers, Woodinville, Washington's own Redhook Brewery; that beer is their Copperhook Spring Ale. Now, I know you're thinking "hey, wait a minute, it's not spring...it's halfway through summer!" I would like to note that I bought it in spring, and it's been relaxing in a cold, dark fridge ever since just waiting to be drank. It gets its chance today. Looking back on previous entries, I'm surprised I've never done a brewery history on Redhook, at least a comprehensive one.

The history of Redhook starts in the Scandinavian working-class Seattle neighborhood of Ballard in May 1981, when Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker founded the brewery. The first batch of their Redhook Ale was poured in 1982. Unfortunately, Seattleites were "maybe a little confus[ed]" about this beer, called the "banana beer" because of its flavor. Less than 1,000 barrels were sold that year; sadly, this beer is no longer available in that initial form. However, their next brews, 1983's Blackhook Porter and 1984's Ballard Bitter (now known as Longhammer IPA) were met with much greater acclaim, and 1987's ESB (Extra Special Bitter) became their flagship ale. To keep up with demand, they moved out of Ballard and into a new brewery in nearby Woodinville in 1994, while expanding their east coast presence with a brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1996. As previously mentioned, Redhook and Portland's Widmer Brothers Brewery merged to form the Craft Brewer's Alliance in 2007, which was finalized in 2008. (Redhook's history link, not direct-linkable; go to Redhook main page → About Redhook → Redhook History)

The history of Copperhook itself is not nearly as long-winded. It began life in 2001 as two different beers: the Chinook Copper Ale, and the Chinook Stock Ale, later renamed Late Harvest Autumn Ale. Chinook Copper Ale was sold year-round, but only in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. It was pulled from the shelf in the summer of 2005 due to a redesign of the bottle and label layout of all Redhook products, combined with Redhook's leasing of the name "Chinook" from Yakima Valley's Chinook Wines. Instead of dealing with all the rights issues associated with continuing to lease the name, Redhook re-christened it as Copperhook Spring Ale, their spring seasonal, in the spring of 2006. It was still temporarily available only on the west coast at that time, with their delicious Nut Brown Ale filling in on the east coast, but as of spring 2007 it is now available nationwide with the exception of Utah and Oklahoma (like all their beers).

On a side note, their Nut Brown is sadly no longer available, but may be due for a glorious comeback soon. One can only hope.

(The above info comes from a combination of recollections of the many Redhook brewery tours I've taken and a phone call to the Redhook Beer Guru on August 7th, 2008 at 2:45 PM PDT. Thanks again, Guru!)

DISCLAIMER: This beer has a soft spot for me, having gotten me through most of my junior year of college. I have tried to be as objective as I can in reviewing this beer.


Here come the stats:

Redhook Copperhook Spring Ale
BREWERY: Redhook Brewing Co., Woodinville, WA, USA
STYLE: BeerAdvocate calls it an American Pale Ale
FIRST BREWED: 2001
CALORIES/SERVING: 174 per 12 oz. bottle
BITTERNESS: 20 IBU
ABV: 5.7%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13.078° Plato (1053.18)
MALTS: Carapils, Caramel
HOPS: Willamette, Saaz
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 40-50°F (4.4-10°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Barbecue, salads, seafood
AWARDS: (none)

Most of this information comes from Redhook's Copperhook website (not direct-linkable, go to Redhook main page → Our Ales → Copperhook). The rest were answered by Redhook's Beer Guru.

It makes sense that Copperhook pours a copper color into the glass, accompanied by an average-sized soft foamy white head which stuck around a longer than average amount of time. The nose was a grainy texture with accents of subtle sweetness, almost fruity in nature. The taste of the beer itself was hoppy at first, quickly transforming into a malty flavor with carbonation. The aftertaste was a little bit of stale hoppiness, but it didn't stick around; within 30 seconds it had evolved to a slight maltiness that was pleasant on the tongue.

This is a light ale that is perfectly suited for the spring and summer months. It's flavor masks its 5.7% ABV well, making this a higher ABV session beer in my mind. Since Redhook's seasonals for this part of the year are their Sunrye Summer Ale and their newly-nationally-available Late Harvest Autumn Ale, you'll have to wait until mid-January 2009 to pick up a six-pack.

Prost!

Widmer and Redhook Breweries Merge

My dad forwarded me an article from the Portland Business Journal about Widmer Brothers Brewery of Portland and Redhook Brewery of Woodinville, WA, merging to form a new company, Craft Brewers Alliance. The co-CEOs of the new company are David Mickelson, president and COO of Redhook, and Terry Michaelson, president of Craft Brands Alliance (Craft Brewers Alliance's marketing and sales arm, created before the merger). Kurt Widmer (guess which brewery he's from) is chairman of the board, and Paul Shipman (recent chairman and CEO of Redhook) is chairman emeritus. You can read more about it in this Portland Business Journal article (if the link is stale, here's a PDF version).

I think this is a good thing for both breweries, especially Redhook. According to a January 5, 2007 Oregonian article, Redhook hasn't posted an annual profit since 1996, compared to Widmer's double digit growth between 2002 and 2006. Since both companies A.) are partially owned by Budweiser and B.) have been working together for at least a few years now, I think this merger will go over well, so long as their beers remain separate. You know, keep the Widmer beers Widmer and the Redhook beers Redhook. I do like my Widmer Hefeweizen and my Redhook Chinook, and it would be a shame if they decided to combine all the beers and dropped or combined some.

I do have to say that the Widmer/Redhook conglomerate now presents some decent competition to Sam Adams, the other large craft brewer on the market today. Who knows, we may see some Widmer and Redhook commercials on TV in the next few years.

Apparently, Widmer and Redhook released a joint press release (on Widmer's site, or from here if that link gets stale) about the merger back in November 2007, and have been talking about it long before that, so the Portland Business-Journal is a little slow on the uptake.

Prost!

Buckbean Original Orange Blossom Ale

Happy 232nd Birthday, America!

My wife and I had our 4th of July barbecue tonight, and of course we invited some friends over to celebrate and watch the fireworks. Because we're poor, it was BYOB, and one of our friends brought 6 cans of Buckbean Brewery's Original Orange Blossom Ale. For those not in the know, it is Reno's only microbrewery (the brewpubs Great Basin, Silver Peak, BJ's, and Brew Brothers presumably don't count because they don't bottle their beers), and it is taking Reno by storm. I went into Ben's the other day, and they were completely sold out, and at the grand opening of Reno's Whole Foods, I saw tons of people taking home 4-packs of Orange Blossom and their other beer, Black Noddy, a schwarzbier like Sam Adams' Black Lager.

As mentioned in previous posts, Buckbean was established in 2007 and just opened earlier this year. The Buckbean name comes from the Buckbean plant, an herb which grows over North America and Europe, and also in Tahoe Meadows. Apparently, Buckbean leaves have been used as a substitute for hops and also as a remedy for scurvy and stomach illnesses. Dan Kahn, the brewmaster, says he plans to use the herb in future brewing projects, and I personally can't wait to try them. Original Orange Blossom Ale was created by Dan while he was brewmaster at Riverside Brewing Company in Riverside, CA for their Orange Blossom Festival, becoming the first to use orange blossoms in the brewing process. They got to try it, but now it's all ours. (All info came from Buckbean's website, which unfortunately does not allow direct linking.)


Here come the stats:

Buckbean Original Orange Blossom Ale
BREWERY: Buckbean Brewing Co., Reno, NV, USA
STYLE: Orange blossom ale
FIRST BREWED: 2008
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 5.8%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS: Caramel, Munich
HOPS: "American"
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Tangy, herbal or spicy foods, soft cheeses or pastries
AWARDS:

I got this information from the can, which can also be found on Buckbean's website. I will talk with the brewers to see if I can get the rest.

The beer poured a beautiful cloudy orange color, accompanied by a decent white head that did not stick around very long. The nose was unlike anything I've ever smelled in a beer before, a swirl of orange and hops; my wife noted that it smelled like a nice perfume. The taste also was unique, a light hoppiness mixed with a smooth orange flavor, best described by one of my friends as a Blue Moon Belgian White and the orange already in the bottle. The finish was crisp and clean with a delightful aftertaste that didn't wear out its welcome.

Buckbean has truly made a great beer that is one-of-a-kind and fits in with Reno's unique culture. I look forward to seeing what else they can do. For now, you can also try out Buckbean's seasonal tap-only brew, Artown Vienna Lager, in honor of Reno's own Artown festival.

Prost!

The Beerocrat - One Year On

About a year ago, I decided to create a blog that detailed my love of beer. I posted my first entry on June 19th, 2007 at about 7 in the morning. That period of time was a very happy time in my life; I had a great time, I was carefree, and I had ample free time to celebrate my love of beer on this blog. Gradually, things changed; I got married, so I now had a family to support; my job became more and more stressful, eventually spilling into the afterhours; and my stress levels began to rise because of both of those things. Stress and overwork do not bode particularly well for a carefree beer blog that was meant to be a hobby. But fortunately for you Beerocrat fans, I'll be making more and more frequent entries.

I was laid off from my IT job yesterday.

It was a total shock when it happened, but my former company needed to downsize, and unfortunately I was among the few who were let go. I am still saddened by it (considering it happened only yesterday, and considering that I loved that job and my co-workers), but I hold no ill will towards my ex-company, and especially towards my former co-workers and managers, some of whom are aware of, and have supported, this blog and its exploits. Still, I drowned my sorrows with - you guessed it - a few beers. There's no better feeling than drinking beer at the Silver Peak at 11 in the morning on a Wednesday.

For you, dear reader, this means more entries and a renewed commitment to excellence, and no better time to renew my commitment than to do it on the first anniversary of this here beer blog.

Since its too late to do an entry tonight (I swear I'm turning into a crotchety old man at 24), I'll post one tomorrow. Now that I can call breweries during normal work hours to get more information, I can get the information and review to you quicker than I have in quite some time.

In the meantime, I got this in my inbox a couple days ago. Redhook, one of Seattle's largest breweries, has started a new viral marketing campaign called the What Would Redhook Do? Coaster Contest. You create a slogan with what you think Redhook would do, like "Redhook would lower gas prices" or "Redhook would date the hot girl's ugly friend", add a background photo, then upload it. Other people who visit the site can vote on your entry, and if enough deem yours worthy, it will end up on coasters nationwide, a pretty sweet deal. You can find the caption contest here.

Take care, and I'll post a new review tomorrow.

Prost!

Buckbean's Grand Opening Recap

As mentioned in my previous post, Reno's own Buckbean Brewery had their official grand opening today at their brewery on 1155 Rock Blvd. Suite 490. I, like at least 100 or so of my fellow Renoites, went to check out the beer, the food, the ice cream from Tahoe Creamery, the beer, the roller derby girls, and the beer. I had the pleasure of tasting the three beers Buckbean had on tap, including their new Artown Vienna Lager, which happens to be the official beer of Artown, Reno's annual monthlong arts festival starting around July 1st. I also was able to briefly speak with Doug, the president, and Dan, the brewmaster, and express my support for Reno's only microbrewery (I don't count brewpubs like Great Basin or Brew Brothers). Sadly, because of Buckbean's size, the Artown Lager is only available on tap, so we won't be seeing their seasonals in can form for another year or two.

Below are some photos I snapped at the event.

The outside of the Buckbean Brewery in SE Reno.


All these cans of Black Noddy Lager and Orange Blossom Ale are empty. Apparently they have to buy them by the full truckload – about 2,500 cases worth at a time.


A close-up of the empty Black Noddy cans.


You don't wanna touch the cans, lest you get cursed with flat oxygenated skunky beer.


These cans have yet to receive their fate.


Hidden amongst other boxes are those of rival craft brewers like Deschutes and Buzzards Bay.


A better view of the empty cans. Time to get to drinking.


A shot of the canner and other brewing equipment, looking towards the front of the brewery.


Looking from the front of the brewery towards the back.


Dean Heller scores major points with me with this Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. Apparently Congress does do things the people like...sometimes.


The Battle Born Derby Devils show off some of their moves in Buckbean's back lot.

I look forward to keeping in contact with Dan and Doug and helping promote Reno's only microbrewery, and I give them what they most deserve: A hearty "prost!"

P.S. Buckbean and its brewers were featured in an article in the June 12th, 2008 edition of the Reno News & Review. It can also be found online.

P.P.S. The Reno Gazette-Journal had an article about Buckbean that ran on June 8th as well. Seeing as how I don't subscribe to the RGJ, that one slipped by me. However, it too can be found online.

Buckbean Brewery Grand Opening Saturday!

If any of you are going to be in town this weekend, the Buckbean Brewery is going to have their grand opening on Saturday June 14th from 11 am to 9 pm. Not only is local radio station KTHX going to do a live remote from there, but all sorts of entertainment will abound, from a photo-op with a roller derby team to live music. And, of course, no brewery grand opening is complete without free beer tastings. That last bit is more than enough of a draw for me. You can get more info on the event on their website (they have no direct linking, so click "Events/Community" at the top, then mouse over the 14th of June).

The Buckbean Brewery is new to the Truckee Meadows, only being established in 2007 and moving into their current location earlier this year. I've had their two beers, Black Noddy Schwarzbier and Original Orange Blossom Ale, at a friend's graduation party from a keg, and while those beers were flat (full disclosure), their flavors were still extraordinary, especially the Orange Blossom. I can't wait to try them with carbonation on Saturday. I also am looking forward to chatting up the brewmasters; it's good to have another microbrewery proper in the Truckee Meadows, aside from Brew Brothers, BJ's, and Great Basin, of course.

Don't go looking up the brewery's location on Google Maps yourself, because it won't point you to the right place. Instead, I've pointed to the brewery's exact location in their office complex on the map below. Use that to navigate, and I'll see you there!


View Larger Map

Prost!

Hite Exfeel-S

In my last post, I mentioned that I was in the far-off land of South Korea, experiencing the culture and the beer. Furthermore, I said I going to write a blurb about my experiences and post it here as part of some entries about Korean beer. Wellllll...the ensuing entry I wrote in my notebook during the 10-hour flight between Seoul and San Francisco clocked in at almost 12 full pages of unadulterated text, so that's probably not going to appear here. So, let me sum it up South Korea for you: Technologically-savvy, wants Korean unification under South Korean rule, hates Japan, dislikes American military, loves American civilians, wants to be more western, kimchi, kimchi, kimchi.

Drinking is a big part of South Korean culture, especially between the boss and his co-workers. The drinking age is 18, and no one bats an eye at drinking in public. People mostly drink soju, a rice vodka; some sort of bamboo-based alcohol that tastes like apple cider; and makkele (not sure on the spelling), a thick white rice beer; all were delicious. Then there was the beer. I was deeply saddened to discover that there was virtually no good beer in all of South Korea. The three main brands, Hite, OB, and Cass, were South Korean equivalents to Miller, Bud, and Coors. I had just about every brand of beer I could find in the numerous convenience stores around where I was staying, and I can tell you that for the first time, I'd've taken a Bud over another can of Hite or Cass Lemon. The best the country is Guinness, but no, I had to have a Hite Black Beer Stout instead.

To quote Hugh Grant in Music and Lyrics, "God, I suffer for my art."

On every trip aborad, I try to bring a beer back from the country I came from. This time, it was Hite (pronounced like "height") Exfeel-S. It caught my eye, not because of the green bottle (sigh...), but because of its claim as "The stylish beer with fiber." Yes, fiber. They put 1.65 grams of fiber in every 330 ml bottle because Koreans apparently don't get enough fiber. No really, that's what they claim on Hite's website. Ingenious, in my opinion. Other than its fiberousness, I can't tell you any historical information about the beer, but according to Hite's website, the company itself started as the Chosun Beer Company in 1933, growing due to various acquisitions and mergers throughout the years.



Here come the stats:

Hite Exfeel-S
BREWERY: The Hite Co., Ltd., Yeongdeungpo-Dong, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, South Korea
STYLE: "Fiber beer"
FIRST BREWED:
CALORIES/SERVING:
DIETARY FIBER/SERVING: 1.65 g per 330 ml bottle
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 4.1%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

The limited information came from Hite's English Site, except the location of Hite's headquarters, which came from some sales lead site.

When I poured the beer, it was a clear golden color with a foamy white head. The smell was pretty nondescript, smelling like a Bud or Coors. But what really threw me was the taste. Man oh man was it bad. And I don't like to bad mouth a beer, but the taste was horrible. I tried this with some friends, and one of them described the taste as "grass beer." I would describe its taste more like a spoilage-riddled Becks Light. To make matters worse, the aftertaste was a stale spoilage-riddled Becks Light flavor, and it just kept building and building as the beer got warmer. Yuck.

While I admire their attempt to get Koreans to add more fiber to their diets by slipping it into their beer, they should've put it in a better beer. Their website claims that "Simply holding [Exfeel-]S makes you a style leader." I say, simply holding Exfeel-S makes you a person holding the worst beer I've ever tasted. If you go to Korea, avoid Exfeel-S in the convenience stores and grab a Guinness. Or seek out the rare Korean microbrewery, whose beers aren't sold in most convenience stores over there. Or (I never thought I'd say this) don't have a beer.



건배 (Geonbae)!

The Beerocrat Abroad: South Korea

안녕하세요 (hello), and welcome to another episode of The Beerocrat Abroad. This week, the Beerocrat is spending almost two weeks in and around Seoul, South Korea, visiting a friend and experiencing the culture, which of course means that I'll be having a beer or two while I'm here. While I may not be able to upload pictures at this time, I'll do my best to relay my experiences while in Seoul. It's gonna be another one of those longs posts again, so you have been warned.

건배 (Geonbae)!

75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition

I admit that as a beer blogger, I've messed up and missed some big events, like the passing of renowned beer hunter Michael Jackson and this year's St. Patrick's Day (which I did start and entry and only was able to finish it yesterday). However, tomorrow is a day that I can't, as The Beerocrat, miss: The repeal of the Volstead Act of 1919 on April 7th, 1933, otherwise known as the repeal of the national scourge known as Prohibition.

Many breweries, notably Anheuser-Busch, are hosting a number of events to mark the 75th anniversary. They are planning, among other events, to rebroadcast then-president of AB August Busch, Jr.'s speech on CBS radio that he made the same day President Franklin Roosevelt legalized beer in the 19 states that repealed their own Prohibition laws. Chances are that your local bar, pub, or brewery is having their own celebration to mark the occasion.

However, as with most things involving alcohol, there's some controversy surrounding this day, specifically if this is really the 75th anniversary. Many historians and critics of the beer industry say that Prohibition didn't truly end until December 5, 1933, when Utah ratified the repeal amendment. In spite of that, the fact that any American could have a beer, even 3.2% ABW beer, 8 months before Utah's ratification makes April 7th the start of the decline.

While April 7th is a joyous occasion, it still boggles my mind that we still have the vestiges of Prohibition 75 years on. There are many dry counties, including the county that contains Lynchburg, Tennessee, better known as the home of Jack Daniels. Many states, most famously Utah and Oklahoma, limit which alcoholic products can be sold and what ABV they may contain. Different labeling standards sometimes prevents beer from passing through certain states and counties. The words "last call" prevent people from enjoying a long night out. Some states that are otherwise progressive in their attitudes towards alcohol, like Oregon and Washington, prevent hard alcohol from being sold in grocery stores, relegating them to state-run liquor stores. Then there are the infamous "blue laws," or laws which legislate morality, that prevent people from buying alcohol on certain days of the week, most often Sundays; these are found all over the South, but also as far west as Colorado.

It makes me angry that these laws and regulations still exist, and if you are a freedom-loving American (or really an American that enjoys alcohol), you should hate them too. We as a free society should do everything in our power to overturn these silly, restrictive laws and regulations regarding beer. It's fine with me if you don't drink, just don't tell me what I can and cannot drink and when I can and cannot buy it. The repeal of Prohibition is about freedom, and I will raise my glass to it, and I will dedicate myself to getting rid of these restrictions wherever they exist. I identify more as a Democrat or a liberal, but any politician who stifles alcoholic freedom, regardless of whether they have a -D or an -R after their name, are in my sights.

So raise a glass to the return of freedom, and let's all work to make alcohol more accepted across the entire nation.

Prost!

My sources:

• April 7th Marks 75th Anniversary of the End of Prohibition
  
• April 7th is NOT the 75th Anniversary of the End of National Prohibition
• Budweiser Toasts its History with Repeal of Prohibition Commemoration
• Prohibition Ends of December 5, 1933
• Brew Year's Eve (where I got the photo)